


Dear Detective

by sunrisesetting



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Detectives, F/M, Friends to Lovers, One year gap between Ragnarok and Infinity War, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, SHIELD, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, detective!reader, nypd, timeline divergance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:57:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20032234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunrisesetting/pseuds/sunrisesetting
Summary: Ragna.The city where anyone can be anything they want to be.Or, essentially, an over-glorified, alien New York.When the UN finally rules to allow Loki beyond its walls in the service of SHIELD, one detective in particular is eager to recruit him into her department. Whilst he initially agrees in the hopes of revelling in the chaos that accompanies the job, he finds he is coming to care more about his partner than he would ever verbally admit to.





	Dear Detective

**Entry 01: Prologue **

_Ragna._

_The city where anyone can be anything they want to be._

_Or, essentially, an over-glorified, alien New York._

After having lost their home to the prophecy Ragnarök, the Asgardians and aliens amongst them took refuge in the countryside of Norway.

When negotiations with global security forces and the European Union had ended, King Thor had been granted his permission to construct his city on Earth. How such a matter was passed without much resistance remains a mystery to this day.

At first Ragna was to be a small town, but with the help of Wakandan technology, grew into a small city that seemed to encapsulate many of the galaxy's different alien cultures, making it an attractive tourist destination. Yes, it was that, and the fact that had been a city that had been born in under a week.

Though initially limited, the alien population amongst the Asgardians grew, and the city began to become a strange 'bubble' for aliens, Asgardians and even humans to co-exist.

But it was not without its issues; the price to stay in Ragna for most alien races was forfeiting their access to other locations in the world. Though Asgardians would be exempt, this did not include a certain man amongst them - the man known as 'The Trickster', Loki.

Negotiations about his terms had been ongoing for the four months since they'd first arrived. Until an agreement was passed, Loki's movements were restricted to Ragna only. Credit to Wakandan tech, his magic had been sealed and his movements tracked, at all times.

But at last, two days prior, SHIELD had struck up an agreement with the world's powers - the margin of vote had been in their favour by one.

And it was on your shoulders now to ensure such opportunity was not wasted.

* * *

  
March 16, 2017  
12.16pm

  
\- - -

"When you said Ragna was like no other city on Earth I believed you, but..."

You gape at the buildings towering before you, most clad in metal and light trimmings shining in neon colours.

"This is something else entirely... And I've been to Wakanda." You finish at last, adjusting your phone between your ear and your shoulder as you rummage through your bag.

Pulling out a somewhat-battered, red digital camera, you snap a couple shots of the scenery surrounding you as you approach the city at last.

_"Just try to stay focused, y/n. A lot is riding on this one chance."_

You roll your eyes at the concerned voice down the other end of the speaker, tucking your camera away and taking the phone back in hand.

The gates of the city looked an awful lot like highly advanced airport security. Many small gateways lined the perimeter, both Asgardians and humans passing through and standing inside the glass tubes on the other side for a moment. As a green light flashed, they passed into the city with no further questions asked.

You guessed that this was the measure you had been told of that prevented other alien species from leaving the city.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." You respond, passing through a gateway and into one of the glass pods.

_Biometric scan will now commence._

"I've been preparing for this for weeks now. I don't want this chance to go to waste either." You finish, watching the glass around you light up with strokes of colour.

_"I suppose you're right. Sorry if it sounded like I was doubting you."_ After a suppressed sigh, this is the answer you receive.

Placing your thumbprint on the indicated area, you wait for a moment until the pod turns green.

_Biometric scan complete.  
Welcome to Ragna, Detective y/n l/n._

"How creepy! They know my rank and name...!" You exclaim, eyes racing from one side to another as unfamiliar food stalls and stores line the streets.

_"It's Wakandan technology built on one of Stark's databases. We pre-logged you for access this morning. It’s also why none of your tech set off the alarm."_

You bump into another person - Asgardian? Human? You couldn't tell - and pardon yourself as they seem to grimace with one look at your face. Disregarding it entirely, you slip within the gaps of the crowd once more.

"I see. Clever." You remark but are not particularly impressed. After all, if it was a combination of Stark and Shuri's talents, then the possibilities were endless.

"Where exactly am I going again?" You ask, eyebrows lowering in contemplation as you look amongst the rooftops for the building you sought.

_"The palace should be at the farthest point north of the city. It's impossible to miss."_

Pulling the phone away from your ear for a moment, you open a compass app and hold it steady for a moment. Turning around to face 'north', you look straight ahead down the end of a block and see exactly what you're looking for.

"By God Coulson, you're right. I don't know how I hadn't noticed it 'til now..." You stand in awe, free hand once again rummaging for your camera.

_"It is... impressive."_ He responds, but there is amusement in his voice.

It was definitely an unusual building, that was for certain. It was a palace, constructed with the same high-tech Wakandan materials as the rest of the city, giving it a strange neon appearance. To put it quite frankly, it would not have looked out of place amongst the gaudy hotels of Las Vegas.

_"That said now, I trust you'll be able to handle things by yourself from here on out?"_ He asks, but his tone seems to imply that he has since turned his interest to something other than your conversation.

"Tell Fury he can count on me. After all, he's the only one I really have to convince, right?" You jest, drawing closer to the palace, eyes skyward at its tallest peak.

_"Y/n you know by now the only person you have to convince is yourself."_ Coulson's voice is softer than usual, and you roll your jaw at his words.

_"I'm hanging up now. Be careful and good luck."_

As the phone call ends, you stare at the screen for a moment, watching his (fake) caller ID fade away. With a sigh, you pocket it and begrudgingly move onwards.

For a mission with so much riding on it, Coulson surprisingly didn't have a lot to say after the briefing. And shouldn't Fury have at least called by now?

There was no way he trusted you to handle it on your own after the whole song-and-dance he had made when you put yourself forward for it. Yet, you couldn't exactly complain either - the less he interfered with your duties right now the better.

You feel your shoulders tense slightly with anticipation as the guards posted at the doors open it as you approach, clearly expecting your arrival.

_"Y/n! We have been expecting you!"_

As though echoing your thoughts, Thor's voice booms through the throne room as he crosses it in just a few swift footsteps.

As he grows near, he seems to stiffen for a moment and concern flashes in his eyes, but before he can ask you raise a hand in silence.

"I'm fine. It's just a couple scratches from my last case and they're healing fine." You explain, gingerly touching the white medical patch next to your mouth along your jaw as you spoke.

"Then I'm glad to hear that. My father used to say that wounds were a warrior's pride." He says, a wide and toothy grin as he spoke, finger gingerly running over the black eyepatch adorning one side of his face.

Shaking his head, he adds jokingly; "But of course that is only true if they do not die in battle first."

You offer a small, polite laugh at his joke, grateful for the man's upbeat personality. He may be royalty, but he still managed to lighten the mood of the room all the same.

"Ah, I should probably re-introduce myself. I'm Detective y/n l/n." You say lightly, offering a hand for him to shake and praying he doesn't opt for the hug instead, torso still thoroughly bruised and beaten.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Thor."

Taking your much smaller hand in his, he gives an energetic and strong handshake befitting the man's personality. Though you'd been exchanging emails with the with the man for a couple weeks now, (_Thor had yet to crack text messaging it seemed, but thanks to his ex-girlfriend's interventions in the past, he did seem to pick up on emailing at a better pace_) it was still strange to see the man outside of photographs and old news clips.

"No, the pleasure is all mine."

He pats the top of your hand before releasing it from his grip, a genuine smile on his face. You could understand why many of the other detectives had been jealous that you were the one selected for the mission - but even then, their meeting was never appointed with Thor.

No, it was another Odinson you had come to meet with.

"I hate to sound so obnoxious since we're finally face-to-face, but I'm in a bit of a pinch. It seems like I'm going to have to speak with your brother much sooner than previously thought." You say, tone grim as you frown.

Just because SHIELD had won their bid for Loki to be released to their custody did not mean it was guaranteed your department would scoop him up. There were already at least four other departments vying to take the trickster in - and not all of them saw him as an asset worth keeping alive after he'd outlived his utility.

"There is a lot of competition between departments to recruit him into their fold." You explain in short, and Thor seems thoughtful for a moment before calling an unfamiliar name over his shoulder.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Comes the reply, a tall Asgardian woman emerging from one of the many doorways.

"Have you seen Loki? My Midgardian friend is here to take him away." Thor smiles as he speaks. When he sees your furrowed brow at his choice of words, he reiterates;

"Recruit him. That's what I meant to say."

The woman joins you both, and with a grin she doesn't so much as attempt to hide, she looks to you for confirmation with obvious excitement at the prospect of ridding Ragna of its most… problematic citizen.

"Yes that's right. But, well, that depends on Loki's choice after all. I can't force him to join against his will." You nod, an awkward smile as you try to remain positive about your prospects.

"You can't but I can and will." The woman jests, reaching a hand out to shake yours.

"Brunnhilde - but most just call me by my title, Valkyrie. Think it's just 'cause it's easier to remember."

"That is true, it _is_ easier to remember." Thor agrees as you shake hands with her.

"It's nice to meet you, Brunnhilde. Detective l/n."

"Pleasure to meet you, Detective." Valkyrie replies, your title rolling off her tongue as though she is thoroughly impressed to be meeting someone with such a title.

"If its Lackey you're after, there was a commotion down at the bar... Agh!" Snapping her fingers in frustration, Valkyrie struggles to recover the name. "It's just off Stark Corner!"

_So Stark had to get a street named after him... _You think, willing your eyes not to roll.

_He doesn't tire of being predictable it seems._

"_Hríd's_!" Thor bellows and Valkyrie snaps her fingers towards him in triumph.

"That's the one! He's always skulking around the bars around here but he's usually at Hríd's on weekends..." Valkyrie's voice trails off in distain.

_So even the God of trickery and mischief enjoyed having a routine - how ironic._

"Why weekends?" You ask, and Thor grows embarrassed, folding his arms and looking away like a young schoolboy who’d seen something he should not have.

"He picks up men and women alike, since Midgardian tradition says Saturdays are occasion enough to celebrate." Valkyrie says without mincing her words, each one laced with a tone that seemed to say;_ “Are you really surprised at this point?”_

“Oh.” You reply.

_In hindsight, that should have been much more obvious._

“Well, thank you for the help anyways. Regardless I don’t have time to wait for him to finish, and it _is _only midday – how much debauchery can one conjure at this hour, eh?” You joke, but the looks on both Thor and Valkyrie’s faces leads to you screwing up yours.

_Never underestimate the God of Mischief – duly noted._

“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you there myself. Being a king is a lot more… paperwork on Midgard than it was in Asgard.” Thor apologizes, but you shake your head.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry I couldn’t chat longer, but we can catch up again soon yes?” You ask, and once you have secured a meeting date to discuss things further with Thor, you’re on your way again, pointed in the right direction by Valkyrie before she returns to her duties elsewhere.

\- - -

Hríd’s is reasonably busy for the middle of the day, most of the buzz encapsulated at either the circular bar in the centre of the room or the semi-private booth off in the corner of the room.

A throng of women sat in the booth. Some stood around, unable to grab a seat, but no less engaged in whatever the man with his back to you was saying.

The young woman serving as the bartender greets you with a nod as you step in from the doorway, boots clicking against the tile floor as you pass the bar entirely, headed straight for the back booth.

As the laughter of the women there died down, the man seemed to hear you approach, withdrawing his arms from the two ladies they had been snaked around and he visibly stiffens for a moment, releasing the tension with an amused sigh.

“_It would seem I have another guest.”_

As he speaks, he does not immediately turn to look at you. This seems to be an attempt to emphasise how little your existence meant to the man – rather, an attempt at a discreet but futile _“Go away!”_ perhaps – but when you halt just a little away from the booth, he acknowledges that a little more than meagre swagger would be enough to shoo you away.

“Forgive my ill manners, ladies, but it seems the _lovely_ lady here has something she would like to say to me.” Loki feigns hurt towards his posse, but as he looks up and meets your gaze, his eyes are cold and calculating as he adds seductively; “_In private._”

This seems to really ruffle a few feathers – _one young lady even asking to join in_ – but eventually getting the message, they disperse to the bar, eyes continuing to occasionally dart in your direction.

Loki, however, seems somewhat disappointed that his attempt to get under your skin fell flat as he throws his legs onto the table, almost knocking over two lip-stained martini glasses in the process. He pats the leather sofa seat directly next to him, and you ignore this invitation as you move to a booth nearby and drag a stool over to join him at the table.

_No way in hell am I touching or sitting on anything here. _You decide after having seen Thor and Valkyrie’s reactions earlier.

“I am _terribly _wounded, agent. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say you are.” He jokes, feigning sympathy at the wounds on your face until he can no longer supress the smug smile that lay beneath his frown. “I apologize. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

As you open your mouth to speak, he cuts you off, hand raised to silence you.

“No, let me guess.” He presses his hands to his forehead in mock telepathy, pointing at you in eureka moment as he says; “You want _me_ to come work for _you_ at SHIELD – just like the last four agents who graced my company today.”

_Four agents?_

You knew there would be competition, but the news only broke at 10pm last night. You’d been on the first flight you could get from New York to Oslo, travelling straight from the airport to Ragna upon touchdown.

Clearly _some departments_ viewed the opportunity reason enough to break out the quinjets – Fury had allowed you no such pleasure. Nine hours on an economy class flight had done wonders to your back, but the man would have no sympathy when you let him have it later.

“Well, yes. I have come to recruit you on behalf of SHIELD.” You say, hands on your knees for lack of occupation to keep them busy, as Loki scoffs.

“Of course. My telepathic abilities never fail me.” He says in return, reaching for one of the half-full martinis (_clearly_ not his from the lipstick stained rim) and swirling it tentatively as he seems to quickly lose interest in the conversation.

“You might want to hold off on using such talents until your _debilitator_ is removed.” You laugh at the satisfaction of proving the man wrong. “Your telepathy didn’t seem to tell you that I am _no_ agent.”

This… seems to draw Loki back into the conversation somewhat. He withdraws his feet from the tabletop and sits a little straighter, downing what is left in the glass before setting it down with excessive force. This draws eyes to the booth for a moment, and he pauses, waiting for them to disperse before asking;

“No…? Then what are you? Another _lapdog_ for the man with the eyepatch?” He sneers.

_Clearly his run-ins with the other departments haven’t gone well then_, you think, amused at his growing frustration. As though Odin himself would have it, it seemed you weren’t quite out of luck just yet.

“My name is y/n l/n. I’m a detective for SHIELD, specialising in cases involving alien species and those whom most people would refer to as ‘mutants.’ Oh, but I also work for the NYPD. Covers up my identity, you see.”

You offer a hand for him to shake, and for a moment, it seems as though he is going to leave you hanging. Rather, it seems he processed your title and his interest grew, as he takes your hand and presses a kiss to it.

“Well, well _Detective_. Now that _is_ a first.” He says, eyes searching your face with intrigue.

He can’t seem to restrain the laugh that rises from his chest, and when he is done, he holds a hand up in mock apology.

“Oh I am sorry for laughing so much.” He starts, a toothy grin never leaving his face as he shakes his head in disbelief. “Don’t get me wrong – I have no interest in being a pawn for SHIELD’s pathetic Midgardian schemes, but I am curious as to why they have sent a _detective_ – the very epitome of justice – to recruit _me_ of all people to work alongside them. Surely even _you_ can see the irony.”

You hear a glass smash at the bar, and you turn to watch the bartender slip between the crowd to sweep up the broken glass.

“There is not much to tell. All departments could apply for the role, regardless of their nature, and I simply do as I’m told. I guess you may not have been so far off the mark with your ‘lapdog’ statement after all.” You explain, but you are only half-engaged with the conversation, eyes never leaving the situation at the bar.

Of course, you were only giving Loki a half-truth. It was true that your department had applied to recruit him into their fold, and indeed you were following orders by being the one to bring him in, but…_ You had been the one to request him for your department after all._

As the bartender bends over to sweep the piled-up glass into the dustpan, another glass joins her on the floor, the men at the bar laughing and jesting of their ‘clumsiness’. 

Loki follows your line of sight and frowns, clearly displeased you are no longer giving him your full attention, especially when at last you have engaged him into the conversation. He reaches a hand out and turns your face towards him, and you flinch, pulling away from his touch. Feeling the now awkward atmosphere, you internally scold yourself.

_If you hadn’t jumped, it wouldn’t have been weird idiot!_

“Sorry. You have my full attention now.” You say apologetically, but your eyes still flit between Loki and the bar every now and again.

“No, I apologize. I did not mean to overstep any boundaries.” Loki says, and he gains your full attention for a moment. His expression is genuine, seeming to sympathise with your reaction, but it does not last as he quickly retreats behind his ego to disguise such vulnerability.

“But really, I think the last man Midgard wants nor needs to help them _solve crime_ is me. If you don’t recall, last time I was here I…” He trails off as he realises once more that your focus has left him, growing annoyed in response. “Are you even paying attention? _Detective_-“

As the third glass hits the ground, you immediately you rise to your feet. The squeal of the stool against the tile floor catching around half the bar’s population’s ears and directing them towards you as you stride towards the bar. Upon hearing the wolf whistle from the men behind her, the bartender looks flustered as you approach, and when you reach your hand out in demand of the brush she held in her hands, she instantly complies.

The two men sat at the bar seem to sense trouble’s approach, and hoping their behaviour goes unnoticed, they turn away and back to their drinks. All the same, you stand behind them wordlessly until one finally cracks, twisting in their seat to address you.

“What do you want?” He grunts, and in response you shove the brush roughly into his chest, hard enough for the _thump _to catch the attention of the few who weren’t already watching the situation play out. In the corner of the room, Loki leans out of the booth in astonishment at the events unfolding so suddenly before him.

“_Clean it up_.” You say, regular warm tone long gone and replaced with a deadly serious demeanour.

Caught off guard, the man stares at you for a moment before scoffing and lashing the brush to the ground.

“I don’t work here – you can’t tell me what to do.” He laughs, and you know that for how intoxicated he is, he cannot be reasoned with. A couple of people begin mumbling in the background, but you are acutely aware of it.

The bartender behind you softly touches your shoulder, trying to diffuse the situation and even bending down to pick up the brush. You reach an arm out to prevent her from doing so, and take it in hand yourself, holding it towards the man once more.

“I won’t ask again.”

The man glares at you with a smug smirk, arms folded as he seems to think for a moment before reaching out and taking the brush with a nod. As you turn around to move the bartender away and give the man room to clean, you are vaguely aware of Loki’s voice calling out _“Detective!”_ before you take a sharp blow to the back of your head.

You stumble to your hands and knees, glass piercing the skin of your palms as you brace yourself for impact. Gasps fill the room as you hear the bystanders shuffle either towards you and the situation at hand or out the door in fear of their own lives. The man who had struck you laughs, throwing the brush down after you as the handle clunks your back before it rolls onto the ground.

For a moment, time seems to stand still as you process what had happened, head swimming from the growing concussion. It didn’t sway you so bad that it prevents your bloody hand from reaching for the brush and turning as you rise to your feet, bristle-end clobbering the man across his smug face.

_That ought to wipe the smile off your face, asshole!_

As the man falls from his stool from both the force of impact and the shock of the blow, you roughly jab your bloody knee into the back of his as you pull the cuffs from your back pocket and put his hands in them.

One of the women who had left the bar earlier reappears in the doorway with two Asgardian men in uniform, who you assumed to be the police force of the city, pointing them to your aid.

“Detective l/n, NYPD. You’re under arrest for assaulting a peace officer.” You declare, revealing your badge to all in witness. The man beneath you doesn’t say anything more as he grits his teeth, and you haul him to his feet, shoving him towards the one of the Asgardian men who gratefully escort him from the bar.

The other hangs around as you explain what unfolded, but he seems not to doubt your account and does not hold you up long, particularly in consideration of your wounds.

Loki, who had since left his booth, attempts to approach but is roadblocked by the whines of terrified women who flock around him as he draws near the bar. Though he raises his hands in apology and tries to squeeze past, by the time he reaches the other side of the crowd, you are already sat before the bartender on a stool as she winds bandages around your palms.

“You don’t have to treat them, it’s just a couple of scratches. I’m fine, honest!” You insist, but she will hear none of your protests.

“I’m almost done anyways.” She says, sticking down the bandages with medical tape. “And besides, it’s the least I can do to thank you detective. Are you sure your head is fine, though? That was a really hard blow.”

You smile and shake your head, opening and closing your fist (_and trying not to wince from the pain_), as though to prove to both her and yourself that are truly alright.

“My head is fine. I’ve been hit way worse than with a dust brush.” You laugh and the lady seems to relax at this.

She opens her mouth to respond, but upon noticing the man who had been patiently waiting to catch you for conversation, she bows her head and dismisses herself with another bought of thanks.

“_I had no idea you were one for such theatrics.”_

Loki is joking, but you can tell from his tone of voice that he is actually rather impressed.

“You should have opened with that little show, detective.” He offers you a hand as you move to get down from the stool, and you accept it, wincing from the pain in your knee as your feet meet the ground.

“I apologize, Loki. Our conversation got cut short and I’m running on quite the tight schedule.” You grit your teeth for a moment in frustration – you had a flight to catch if you wanted to make your shift at the station. If you missed another one, people were going to begin to suspect something was up for sure.

Though you were glad to have helped someone, it had meant that you had missed your opportunity to recruit Loki aboard your department. Coulson would be mad – no, worse, Fury would have your head. _But not as much as he would if your identity at the NYPD was compromised._

“I can send you the admittance documents and the specs of the job if you’d still consider-“

_“I’ll do it.”_

“Ah, please don’t refuse so fast or at least until you’ve seen…” You clasp your hands together in prayer as Loki interrupts, but you trail off in astonishment, processing his words.

“Wait… Did you just…?”

“How dull! You must have the attention span of a Sakaarian insectoid!” He frowns in teasing, but in all honesty, you don’t really understand his insult and just assume it is bad. “Yes mortal. Yes _detective_, I will join your fold. Though I have two requests.”

He puts his hands behind his back, straightening upright and he takes you in, bottom to top.

You looked a real mess – like a problem child. Eyes calm but still burning from adrenaline. A patched-up face, bandaged knees and palms for good measure.

How someone like you had come to work as a detective in not just one, but two establishments was unknown to Loki, but you’d intrigued him enough that he wanted to find out.

Besides, just based on appearance alone, it looked as though chaos was sure to follow wherever you go.

“Yes! What is It?” You exclaim, excitement claiming your body and numbing the pain as you clench your fists in anticipation. “Anything within my ability, of course!”

“First off, I want my magic back. Life is incredibly dull when you do not have sorcery to pass the time, and I’d imagine SHIELD would no doubt find use for it.” He says, rubbing his hand over the Wakandan band around his wrist – the debilitator supressing his abilities.

This was an obvious demand – you’d been quick to point it out to Coulson in briefing, but to your surprise, he had told you Fury had already approved Loki to receive his powers once more after he had served a reasonable period of time at the organisation that the UN might actually spend more than 10 seconds considering it.

“I can’t promise it will be immediate, but you will get your magic back in exchange for your services.” You say, hoping he will be satisfied with such a vague answer.

“_Do you swear it?”_ He asks.

“_I swear it.”_ You answer

Satisfied, Loki grins, closing the distance between you two a little more with a stride of his long legs. At first, when he reaches out his hand, you are uncertain of what is to follow. You didn’t exactly want him kissing your hand again for one.

“My second condition is that we work together – you and I, detective.” He says, looking you dead in the eye and, though he maintains his signature smug smile, you still see the same truthfulness in his gaze that he had shown apologizing earlier.

It is then that you understand his hand is outstretched awaiting a handshake.

“I feel that whatever is to follow, our partnership will be interesting to say the least. And if my brother is going to force me into this scheme regardless, I’d at least like to work with someone with whom I can have a little fun.” He adds, mischievous glint in his eye.

“The work we will be doing is nowhere near fun. It’s serious!” You say, frowning and he laughs in response, shaking his hand in emphasis for you to take it. “If you want to work with me, you’ll have to show me you can be serious sometimes too.”

“I get it, I get it. If its only ‘_sometimes_’ I have to be serious, then I’m sure even I am capable of that, detective.” He retorts childishly, using your own words against you.

You sigh in a huff, but he does not give up, palm still outstretched towards you, and you look at it for a moment before meeting Loki’s gaze.

“_So, do we have a deal?”_ He asks, and you put your hand in his as response, not missing the gentleness of which he shakes your hand with, conscious of your wounds.

With a smile you finally give your verbal reply;

_“We have a deal.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an introductory chapter to a story, it's incredibly long... Over 5000 words...  
But I didn't feel it was right to split it, and I think it introduces the story well as one piece, so I hope you enjoyed it all the same!
> 
> This story follows a slight timeline divergence in that the events of Thor:Ragnarok took place one year earlier, leaving a year gap between its events and Infinity War. (Thus, they did not encounter Thanos enroute to Earth.)  
There probably won't be anymore changes beyond this other than Coulson working with Fury again in secret!
> 
> I hope you're looking forward to reading the rest of the story! It will be a Hel of a ride!


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